Professor of Agricultural Economics Dr. Weaver's current research focuses on microeconomic and econometric analysis of public policy targeted at the performance of agricultural production and marketing systems. Recent studies have had one of two focuses: 1) time series studies of the operation of frequently traded goods to evaluate arbitrage opportunities, risk, and efficiency of transmission of information concerning levels of price and volatility; and 2) the levels and management through contracting of agricultural impacts on water quality, agricultural policy and regulatory impacts on productivity, and the contribution of research to the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. Most recent grants have funded research on the use of contracting to manage price risk and quality in food supply chains.
Dr. Weaver has served as Senior Project Officer at the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, Board on Agriculture, and a visiting scholar at I.N.R.A./Rennes Toulouse (France); Catholic University, Louvain-La Nerve (Belgium); Wageningen Agricultural University (Netherlands). He has consulted extensively with the World Bank, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, and other government agencies as well as private corporations. Dr. Weaver recently was a member of a team that won the AAEA National Award for Distinguished Extension program.
Representative Publications
Books
Kim, K. C. and Robert D. Weaver (Eds.). Biodiversity and Landscapes. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Press. 1994.
Weaver, Robert D. (Ed.) U.S. Agricultural Research System: Strategic Challenges and Options. Bethesda, MD. Agricultural Research Institute. 1993.
Refereed
Journal Articles
Jens-Peter Loy and R. D. Weaver. "Inflation and Relative Price Volatility in Russian Food Markets." European Review of Agricultural Economics ; 25 (1998): 373 - 394.
Bonnieux, F., Carpentier, A., and R.D. Weaver. "Reducing Soil Contamination: Economic Incentives and Potential Benefits." Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment. 11(1998): 135-153.
Weaver,
R.D. "Measuring Productivity of Environmentally Interactive Technologies:
The Case of Agriculture and the Environment." American Journal of
Agricultural Economics, 80 (August 1998): 595-599. Weaver,
R. D. “Private Provision of Public Environmental Goods: Policy Mechanisms
for Agriculture.” Chapter 11 in (ed.) S. Dabbert The Economics of Lanscape and Wildlife Conservation, C.A.B.
International, Wallingford, U.K.,1998. Pp. 159-172.
D.
L. Frechette and R.D. Weaver. "Heterogeneous Subjective Moments and Price
Dynamics," in Proceedings of Conference on Applied Commodity
Price Analysis, Forecasting, and Market Risk Management, April 20-21, 1998
at the Chicago Merchantile Exchange, Chicago, Illinois.
Piot-Lepetit, I., Vermersch, D., Weaver, R.D. "Agriculture's environmental externalities: DEA evidence for French agriculture." Applied Economics.(29)3: 331-342, 1997.
Carpentier, A.C. and R.D. Weaver "Damage Control Productivity: Why Econometrics Matters." American Journal of Agricultural Economics, (79) 47-61, February 1997.
Carpentier, A.C. and R.D. Weaver "Information, Production Risk and Chemicals: A Panel Data Approach" Chapter 8 in Risk Management Strategies in Agriculture: State of the Art and Future Perspectives (eds.) R.B.M. Huirne, J.B. Hardaker, and A.A. Dijhuizen. Wageningen Press, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 1997.
Carpentier, A.C. and R.D. Weaver "Intertemporal and Interfirm Heterogeneity: Implications for Pesticide Productivity." Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (44) 219-236, 1996.
Weaver, Robert D. "Prosocial Behavior: Private Contributions to Agriculture's Impact on the Environment" Land Economics, May 1996.
Weaver, R. D., and A. Chitose. "Total Factor Productivity for Nonhomothetic, Non-separable, Multiple Output Technologies." Cahiers d'Economie 35(1994):74-95.
Weaver, R. D., J. K. Harper, and W.J. Gillmeister. "Efficacy of Standards vs. Incentives for Managing the Environmental Impacts of Agriculture," Journal of Environmental Management, (1995)46(2):1-16.
Book Chapters
Weaver,
R.D. and W. C. Natcher. "Price Volatility in Dairy Markets: A Story of
Stocks?," in Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting, and Market
Risk Management, Chicago Merchantile Exchange, Chicago, Illinois. 1999. Pp.
257-272.
Weaver,R.D. and William C. Natcher. “Efficiency and Competitiveness of Commodity Markets: Time Series Evidence” CONSOLIDATION IN THE MEAT SECTOR, proceedings published by Economic Research Service and Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration of USDA. 1999.
Thraen, C., Kevin McNew, and Rob Weaver. “Milk and Feed Price Variability: An Introduction for Dairy Producers.” Chapter in Integrated Dairy Risk Management Education & Research. Ohio State University and Risk Management Agency, U.S.D.A. Pp. 32., 1999.
Weaver, R.D. and W.C.Natcher. "Price Volatility in Dairy Markets: Estimation for Economic Decision-making" Chapter in Advanced Strategies for Risk Management, Integrated Dairy Risk Management Education & Research. Ohio State University and Risk Management Agency, U.S.D.A. Pp.29. 1999.
Weaver, R. D. "Private Provision of Public Environmental Goods: Policy Mechanisms for Agriculture." Chapter in Policy Measures to Control Environmental Impacts from Agriculture, C.A.B. International, Wallingford, U.K., 1997.
Bonnieux, F. and R.D. Weaver. "Management Agreements: Public Economics and Evidence. " Chapter in European Experience with Policies for Agriculture's Environmental Impacts, M. Whitby (ed.), CAB, International, 1996.
Weaver, R.D. and A. Carpentier. "Heterogeneity in Production Technologies and Estimation of Pesticide Productivity." Policy Measures to Control Environmental Impacts from Agriculture. A. Oskam (ed.). Wageningen: 1996.
Weaver, R.D. "Mitigation, Product Substitution, and Consumer Valuation of Undesirable Foodborne Effects." Chapter 3 in Valuing Food Quality and Safety, Julie Caswell (ed.). Boulder: Westview Press, 1995, pp. 51-68.
Weaver, R.D. " Pesticide Use and Consumer Demand for Produce Quality: A Survey of Evidence ", Chapter 1 in Pesticide Use and Produce Quality. Neil Conklin. (ed.) Chicago: Farm Foundation, 1994, pp. 1 - 13.
Weaver, R.D. and Taeho Kim (2000). “Inducing Efficient Quality Supply through Contracting Mechanisms: Contracting for Total Quality Management Effort that Pays.” presented at INFORMS Annual Meetings November 2000. San Antonio, TX
R.D.Weaver and Taeho Kim. "Targeting Environmental Protection in Agriculture: IPM and BMPs as Environmental Performance Indicators", presented at the annual meetings of the American Agricultural Economics Association, Memphis, August 1999.
R.D.Weaver.
"Productivity and Growth Accounting for Environmentally Interactive
Technologies," presented at the annual meetings of the American
Agricultural Economics Association, Salt Lake City, August 1998.
R.D. Weaver. "Dynamics of Livestock Industries, " Discussion of papers, at the annual meetings of the American Agricultural Economics Association, Salt Lake City, August 1998.
Carpentier, A. and R. D. Weaver. "Assessment of Producer's Attitudes toward Risk and Information using Panel Data: An Example of Pesticide Use in the French Crop Sector." In R. Huirne, J. B. Hardaker, and A. A. Dijkhuizen (eds.) Risk Management Strategies in Agriculture. Mansholt Studies. Wageningen, NL: Wageningen Agricultural University Press, 1997: Forthcoming.
Weaver, R. D. "Multiple Input, Multiple Output Production Choices and Technology in the U. S. Wheat Region." AJAE 65 (1983): 45-56.
Weaver, R. D. and S. Stefanou. "Toward a Behavioral Approach to Modeling Dynamic Production Choice Structures." NJARE 13 (1984): 163-76.
Weaver, R. D. "Rational Roots of 'Irrational' Behavior: Discussion." NJARE 18 (1989): 98-102.
Weaver, R. D. and D. Lass. "Corner Solutions in Duality Models: A Cross-Section Analysis of Dairy Production Decisions." AJAE 71 (1989): 1025-40.
Supply Chain
Management: Quality
Weaver, R.D. and T. Kim.(2000). “Biotechnology in the Supply Chain: Managing A Product Differentiating Technology.” International Consortium for Agricultural Biotechnology Research.
Weaver,
R.D. and T. Kim. “Supply Chain Contracting for Quality: The Economics of a
Natural Mechanism.”
Invited paper, presented at Conference: The
Economics of Quality Control in Agriculture.
Sponsored by Agriculture Canada and CAES.
The University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
November 1999.
Heterogeneous Expectations
R.D. Weaver and Yu Zhang."Volatility of Market Prices: Are Heterogeneous Expectations a Factor?" presented at the annual meetings of the American Agricultural Economics Association, Memphis, August 1999.
D.
L. Frechette and R.D. Weaver. "Heterogeneous Subjective Moments and Price
Dynamics," presented at Conference on Applied Commodity Price Analysis,
Forecasting, and Market Risk Management, April 20-21, 1998 at the Chicago
Merchantile Exchange, Chicago, Illinois.
Price Volatility: What is It?
R.D. Weaver and William Natcher, “Has Market Reform Exposed Farmers to Greater Price Volatility?.” Farm Economics. Fall 2000.
Price Volatility: Estimation
R.D. Weaver and
W.C. Natcher "Two
Moment Dairy Product Price Forecasting and Use Class Milk Prices"
presented at the Conference on Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting,
and Market Risk Management at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Chicago, Illinois,
April 2000
R.D.
Weaver and W.C. Natcher "Can
Monthly Price Forecasts Be Improved Using High Frequency Data?"
presented at the Conference on Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting,
and Market Risk Management at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Chicago, Illinois,
April 2000
Chitose, A. and R. D. Weaver. "Unit Roots, Seasonality, and Cointegration: Evidence for Beef Sector Time Series." Working paper. 1997.
R.D.
Weaver and W. Natcher. "Volatility of Commodity Prices: Has Anything
Changed?," presented at annual meetings of the American Agricultural
Economics Association, Salt Lake City, August 1998.
W.C.
Natcher and R.D. Weaver "Have
Market Reforms in US Agriculture Induced Greater Price Volatility?"
presented at the annual meetings of the American Agricultural Economics
Association, Tampa, August 2000.
R.D.
Weaver and W.C. Natcher "Commodity
Price Volatility Under New Market Orientations" presented
at the AES Annual Meetings, Manchester UK, March 2000
Helmberger, P. G., R. D. Weaver., and K. T. Haygood. "Rational Expectations and Competitive Pricing and Storage." AJAE 64 (1982): 266-70.
R.D.
Weaver and W.C. Natcher "Dairy
Futures Trading and Cash Price Volatility" presented at the
annual meetings of the Western Agricultural Economic Association, Vancouver,
Canada, June 2000
Weaver, R. D. and P. G. Helmberger. "Welfare Implications of Stabilizing Consumption and Production." AJAE 59 (1977): 397.
Weaver, R. D. and A. Banerjee. "Cash Price Stability in the Presence of Futures Markets: A Multivariate Causality Test for Live Beef Cattle." Journal of Futures Markets 2 (1982): 367-89.
Weaver, R. D. and A. Banerjee. "Does Futures Trading Destabilize Cash Prices? Evidence for U. S. Live Beef Cattle." Journal of Futures Markets 10 (1990): 41-60.
R.D.
Weaver and W.C. Natcher "What
Moves Wholesale and Farm Level Dairy Prices, NASS Surveys or Chicago Markets?"
presented at the annual meetings of the Western Agricultural Economic
Association, Vancouver, Canada, June 2000
R.D. Weaver and W.C. Natcher "Volatility in Prices in Food Supply Chains: Evidence of the Invisible Hand?" presented at the IAMA Meetings, Chicago Illinois June, 2000
R.D.
Weaver and W. Natcher. "Transmission of Price Volatility in Beef Markets: A
Multivariate Approach", presented at annual meetings of the American
Agricultural Economics Association, Memphis, August 1999.
R.D. Weaver and W.C. Natcher "Price Volatility: A Bitter Pill of Trade Liberalization in Agriculture?" presented at the NRICGP Research Conference, Global Agricultural Trade in the New Millennium, New Orleans, LA May 25-26, 2000
International Trade
Chitose, A. and R. D. Weaver. "Livestock Sector Expansion During Economic Growth Periods: The Japanese Experience." Working paper.
Weaver, R. D. "Agricultural Price Stabilization: An Assessment of Past Experiences in Developing Countries." Working paper.